By Januarius Asongu, PhD

One of the defining intellectual challenges of our time is the fragmentation of knowledge. Across philosophy, social science, and public discourse, competing frameworks often operate in isolation from one another. Scientific naturalism, cultural relativism, critical theory, and traditional moral realism each offer partial insights, yet none alone provides an adequate account of how human beings can pursue truth within pluralistic societies.

My article “Moral Truth in a Plural World: A Critical Synthetic Realist Account of Value, Finitude, and Human Judgment” addresses this problem through the philosophical framework of Critical Synthetic Realism (CSR).

Read the article:

https://www.opastpublishers.com/journal/journal-of-humanities-social-sciences/current-issue

Critical Synthetic Realism begins from the recognition that human knowledge is both real and limited. Moral values such as dignity, justice, and truth are not merely subjective constructions. At the same time, human beings encounter these values within conditions of epistemic finitude. Our understanding is always shaped by culture, institutions, language, and historical circumstance.

CSR therefore rejects two common extremes of modern thought.

On one side lies moral relativism, which treats ethical claims as expressions of cultural preference. On the other lies dogmatic realism, which assumes that moral truth can be known without acknowledging the limitations of human interpretation.

Between these poles lies a more responsible path: the pursuit of truth through critical reflection, institutional mediation, and intellectual humility.

This framework has implications far beyond philosophy. In societies increasingly divided by ideological polarization, digital misinformation, and cultural conflict, the search for moral truth must occur within structures capable of sustaining dialogue, accountability, and epistemic integrity.

The goal of CSR is therefore not merely theoretical clarity but the reconstruction of the intellectual architecture necessary for responsible moral judgment in a plural world.

Social Media Summary

New research: Can moral truth survive in a pluralistic world?

My article develops Critical Synthetic Realism, a framework integrating moral realism with epistemic humility.

Read the study:

https://www.opastpublishers.com/journal/journal-of-humanities-social-sciences/current-issue

#CriticalSyntheticRealism #Philosophy #Ethics #MoralPhilosophy #Epistemology